Books like 'Park Bench'
Readers who enjoyed Park Bench by Christophe Chabouté also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary psychological realistic drama humor friendship literary-fiction
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Healed: Stone and Pepper by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt's Cliffside Bay and beyond in this heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romantic adventure from USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson. Stone Hickman is the last of a dying breed. The former Marine believes in integrity, service to his country, a hard day's work, and taking care of his loved ones... -
![Tainted: Lance and Mary by Tess Thompson]()
Tainted: Lance and Mary by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOne career-ending mistake sends Lance Mullen home to Cliffside Bay in search of a fresh start. And in no time at all, home begins to feel like the place he was always meant to be. With his beautiful new beach house, his friends and family close by, and a profitable business to grow, life really is good. That is until his heart tries to wreck everything... again... -
![Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt]()
Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"A brave and breathtaking musical... -
![And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman]()
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe tender and moving novella from the author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People'I read this beautifully imagined and moving novella in one sitting, utterly wowed, wanting to share it with everyone I know' Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice Grandpa and Noah are sitting on a bench in a square that keeps getting smaller every day... -
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![A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart]()
A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDiscover a unique, funny and moving debut that will make you laugh, cry and smile. Meet thirtysomething dad, AlexHe loves his wife Jody, but has forgotten how to show it. He loves his son Sam, but doesn't understand him. Something has to change. And he needs to start with himself.Meet eight-year-old SamBeautiful, surprising, autistic. To him the world is a puzzle he can't solve on his own... -
![Sabtu Bersama Bapak by Adhitya Mulya]()
Sabtu Bersama Bapak by Adhitya Mulya
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“Hai, Satya! Hai, Cakra!” Sang Bapak melambaikan tangan. “Ini Bapak. Iya, benar kok, ini Bapak. Bapak cuma pindah ke tempat lain. Gak sakit. Alhamdulillah, berkat doa Satya dan Cakra. … Mungkin Bapak tidak dapat duduk dan bermain di samping kalian. Tapi, Bapak tetap ingin kalian tumbuh dengan Bapak di samping kalian. Ingin tetap dapat bercerita kepada kalian... -
![Where The Story Starts by Imogen Clark]()
Where The Story Starts by Imogen Clark
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA strange encounter. An unlikely friendship. But will it survive when they both know the truth?As single mother Leah struggles to get her children ready one morning, the doorbell rings. Standing on the doorstep of their terraced house in Whitley Bay is a well-dressed stranger, Clio, who feels an emotional tie to the house that she can’t explain... -
![The Mustachioed Woman of Shanghai by Isham Cook]()
The Mustachioed Woman of Shanghai by Isham Cook
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWant to know what's really going on with relationships in China today? It is the Shanghai of courtesans and concubines, danger and decadence, updated to 2020. American expat author Isham Cook has disappeared... -
![Change of Heart by Judith Keim]()
Change of Heart by Judith Keim
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEmerson “Em” Jordan always wanted a Valentine’s Day wedding. But after being dumped by her boyfriend, she spends the holiday at Seashell Cottage on the Gulf Coast of Florida with Devin Gerard, a family friend who has no interest in her or any other woman and is instead concentrating on his pediatric medical practice and continuing medical missions in Costa Rica... -
![Torture the Artist by Joey Goebel]()
Torture the Artist by Joey Goebel
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsVincent Spinetti is an archetypal tortured artist ? a sensitive young writer who falls victim to alienation, parental neglect, poverty, depression, alcoholism, illness, nervous breakdowns, and unrequited love... -
![The Shadow Between Us by Carol Mason]()
The Shadow Between Us by Carol Mason
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat is it about the coast that attracts people running from their past? Maybe there’s something in a sea breeze that blows away your problems. Maybe when you look out at the ocean you can see the future; forget the secrets and pain holding you back. Or at least you can forget them for a time. When Olivia moves to Port Townsend, her marriage is floundering, and her life is in pieces... -
![The House of Gazes by Daniele Mencarelli]()
The House of Gazes by Daniele Mencarelli
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWinner of the 2019 John Fante First Novel Prize The critically acclaimed novel from the author of Everything Calls for Salvation , adapted into a Netflix Original series, is a powerful coming-of-age story about loss, identity, and rebirth Daniele is a young poet plagued by an unknown darkness, “an invisible disease of the heart, or of the mind...Categorized as:
literary-fiction drama fiction contemporary audiobook coming-of-age psychological book -
![The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill]()
The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOh, would that all bullying problems could be solved so easily! Mean Jean is the reigning Recess Queen, pushing and smooshing, hammering and slammering the other kids whenever they cross her. And then one day a puny new girl shows up on the playground and catches Mean Jean completely off-guard... -
![Saint Richard Parker by Merlin Franco]()
Saint Richard Parker by Merlin Franco
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHis search for love and enlightenment across India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia...Ace businessman, writer, and investigative journalist Richard Parker loses his job when he exposes the vegetarian CEO of his newspaper as a beef exporter. Accused of misconduct and forced to dissolve his company, he retreats to his wretched little village... -
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![Shtum by Jem Lester]()
Shtum by Jem Lester
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPowerful, darkly funny and heart-breaking, Shtum is a story about fathers and sons, autism, and dysfunctional relationships.Ben Jewell has hit breaking point. His ten-year-old son Jonah has severe autism and Ben and his wife, Emma, are struggling to cope... -
![600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster]()
600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA thirty-nine-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Edward Stanton lives alone on a rigid schedule in the Montana town where he grew up. His carefully constructed routine includes tracking his most common waking time (7:38 a.m.), refusing to start his therapy sessions even a minute before the appointed hour (10:00 a.m... -
![How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern]()
How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsShe has just two weeks. Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love – with his own life. Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Halfpenny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is desperate – but Christine makes a crazy deal with him... -
![The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Bob Sornson, Maria Dismondy]()
The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others by Bob Sornson, Maria Dismondy
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHave you ever seen a bully in action and done nothing about it? The kids at Pete's new school get involved, instead of being bystanders. When Pete begins to behave badly, his classmates teach him about "The Promise"...Categorized as:
realistic friendship children-books fiction bullying children psychological contemporary -
![Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver]()
Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThree mothers. Three secrets. One devastating scandal.Anna has always been the quiet one, the soft-spoken mother who kept her head down and her secrets close. But when she's thrown together with Maggie and Rhea on a PTA project, they begin to bond over wine and gossip, and slowly share the truths behind their picture-perfect lives... -
![Invisible Love by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt]()
Invisible Love by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEric-Emmanuel Schmitt is the author of three luminous collections of short stories published by Europa Editions, including the bestselling Most Beautiful Book in the World, and one novel, Three Women in a Mirror... -
![A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews]()
A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGrace has been best friends with Ella and Flick since university. The late-night chats, shared heartaches and good times have created a bond that has stood the test of time... -
![Like Life by Lorrie Moore]()
Like Life by Lorrie Moore
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn Like Life's eight exquisite stories, Lorrie Moore's characters stumble through their daily existence. These men and women, unsettled and adrift and often frightened, can't quite understand how they arrived at their present situations. Harry has been reworking a play for years in his apartment near Times Square in New York. Jane is biding her time at a cheese shop in a Midwest mall... -
![The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph]()
The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOusep Chacko, journalist and failed novelist, prides himself on being “the last of the real men.” This includes waking neighbors upon returning late from the pub. His wife Mariamma stretches their money, raises their two boys, and, in her spare time, gleefully fantasizes about Ousep dying... -
![God-Shaped Hole by Tiffanie DeBartolo]()
God-Shaped Hole by Tiffanie DeBartolo
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen I was twelve, a fortune teller told me that my one true love would die young and leave me all alone. Everyone said she was a fraud, that she was just making it up. I'd really like to know why the hell a person would make up a thing like that... -
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![Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg]()
Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsFrom the creator and executive producer of the beloved and universally acclaimed television series BoJack Horseman, a fabulously off-beat collection of short stories about love--the best and worst thing in the universeWritten with all the scathing dark humor that is a hallmark of BoJack Horseman, Raphael Bob-Waksberg's stories will make readers laugh, weep, and shiver in uncomfortably delicious... -
![The Ones We Choose by Julie Clark]()
The Ones We Choose by Julie Clark
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLisa Genova meets 23andMe in this exploration of the genetic and emotional ties that bind, as debut author Julie Clark delivers a compelling read about a young boy desperate to find his place in this world, a mother coming to terms with her own past, and the healing power of forgiveness... -
![Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley]()
Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of Before I Go comes an unconventional love story perfect for fans of the emotional novels of Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes. One time a boy kissed me and I almost died... And so begins the story of Jubilee Jenkins, a young woman with a rare and debilitating medical condition: she’s allergic to other humans... -
![Faultlines by Barbara Taylor Sissel]()
Faultlines by Barbara Taylor Sissel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt’s the phone call every parent dreads: in the middle of the night, Sandy Cline learns that her twenty-year-old son, Jordan, has been in a car accident. Her nephew, Travis, was also in the car, along with Travis’s girlfriend. All three are alive—but barely. The car was smashed against a tree along a remote and winding road, beautiful but deadly, in their rural Texas Hill Country town... -
![Among the Missing by Dan Chaon]()
Among the Missing by Dan Chaon
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this haunting, bracing new collection, Dan Chaon shares stories of men, women, and children who live far outside the American Dream, while wondering which decision, which path, or which accident brought them to this place. Chaon mines the psychological landscape of his characters to dazzling effect. Each story radiates with sharp humor, mystery, wonder, and startling compassion... -
![Such Kindness by Andre Dubus III]()
Such Kindness by Andre Dubus III
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTom Lowe’s identity and his pride are invested in the work he does with his back and his hands. He designed and built his family’s dream home, working extra hours to pay off the adjustable rate mortgage he took on the property, convinced he is making every sacrifice for the happiness of his wife and son. Until, in a moment of fatigued inattention, shingling a roof in too-bright sunlight, he falls...Categorized as:
literary-fiction drama realistic friendship fiction contemporary disability audiobook -
![Left Neglected by Lisa Genova]()
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsSarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children - Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus... -
![Rabbit at Rest by John Updike]()
Rabbit at Rest by John Updike
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWinner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In John Updike's fourth and final novel about ex-basketball player Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, the hero has acquired heart trouble, a Florida condo, and a second grandchild. His son and daughter-in-law are acting erratically, his wife Janice wants to work, and Rabbit is searching his soul, looking for reasons to live... -
![The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane]()
The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAccording to sixteen-year-old Zander Osborne, nowhere is an actual place—and she’s just fine there. But her parents insist that she get out of her head—and her home state—and attend Camp Padua, a summer camp for at-risk teens.Zander does not fit in—or so she thinks. She has only one word for her fellow campers: crazy... -
![On Little Wings by Regina Sirois]()
On Little Wings by Regina Sirois
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis is a story of the countless ways we get love wrong. And why, despite every disappointment, we keep fighting to get it right. Jennifer must do the impossible – bring her mother home. When a family is torn apart by death, two sisters take violently divergent paths and the story of their family appears to end terribly and abruptly... -
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![Meg's Confession by Sierra Donovan]()
Meg's Confession by Sierra Donovan
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMeg Reilly is a pregnant widow who ducks into a confessional to spill her deepest, darkest secrets. Trouble is, the man on the other side of the booth isn't a priest. Craig Stovall is the owner of a local construction business--he's just there to repair the confessional. But when Meg starts talking, he's too surprised and tongue-tied to stop her until he hears too much... -
![The Sound of Us by Sarah Willis]()
The Sound of Us by Sarah Willis
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAlice Marlowe accepts her life the way it is. She's single, in her late forties. She lives with a cat named Sampson, and has imaginary conversations with her dead twin brother. As a sign-language interpreter for the deaf, she is used to standing between people, facilitating their conversations with each other... -
![All the Little Animals by Walker Hamilton]()
All the Little Animals by Walker Hamilton
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA beguiling, unsettling and ultimately moving modern fable set on the byways of rural Cornwall; a story about running away, the search for acceptance and burying road-kill.Bobby is a 31 year old man with the mind of a small, frightened boy. He has run away from his privileged but abusive London home to rural Cornwall...Categorized as:
drama literary-fiction action-adventure adult book coming-of-age contemporary fiction -
![The Allegations by Mark Lawson]()
The Allegations by Mark Lawson
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn the morning after he has celebrated his 60th birthday party at a celebrity-filled party, Ned Marriott is in bed with his partner, Emma, when there's a knock on the door. Detectives from the London police force's 'Operation Millpond' have come to arrest him over an allegation of sexual assault... -
![The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms]()
The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler comes a fresh, funny, and thoughtful story about going off the grid in order to truly live. As one of the most popular influencers on social media, Mia Bell has lived her life online for years... -
![The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford]()
The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrank Bascombe returns, with a new lease on life (and real estate), more acutely in thrall to life’s endless complexities than ever before. A holiday, and a novel, no reader will ever forget—at once hilarious, harrowing, surprising, and profound... -
![Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet]()
Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA man named Gil walks from New York to Arizona to recover from a failed love. After he arrives, new neighbors move into the glass-walled house next door, and his life begins to mesh with theirs... -
![A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You: Stories by Amy Bloom]()
A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You: Stories by Amy Bloom
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA great short story has the emotional depth and intensity of a poem and the wholeness and breadth of a novel. Amy Bloom writes great short stories. Her first collection, Come to Me, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and here she deepens and extends her mastery of the form... -
![Fortunate Son by Walter Mosley]()
Fortunate Son by Walter Mosley
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn spite of remarkable differences, Eric and Tommy are as close as brothers. Eric, a Nordic Adonis, is graced by a seemingly endless supply of good fortune. Tommy is a lame black boy, cursed with health problems, yet he remains optimistic and strong... -
![Staggerford by Jon Hassler]()
Staggerford by Jon Hassler
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt is only a week in the life of a 35-year old bachelor school teacher in a small Minnesota town. But it is an extraodinary week, filled with the poetry of living, the sweetness of expectation, and the glory of surprise that can change a life forever... -
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![Sal by Mick Kitson]()
Sal by Mick Kitson
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSal planned it for almost a year before they ran. She nicked an Ordnance Survey map from the school library. She bought a compass, a Bear Grylls knife, waterproofs, and a first aid kit from Amazon using stolen credit cards. She read the SAS Survival Handbook and watched loads of YouTube videos. And now Sal knows a lot of stuff... -
![Life Without Summer: A Novel by Lynne Griffin, Tanya Eby]()
Life Without Summer: A Novel by Lynne Griffin, Tanya Eby
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTessa Gray’s life changes forever when she loses her four-year-old daughter, Abby, in a hit-and-run accident outside her preschool. Once a vivacious, joyful mother and wife, Tessa now spends her days holed up in Abby’s room, sleeping in her bed, clutching Abby’s Tootsie Rabbit stuffed animal—anything to keep her memories close... -
![Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik]()
Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAfter Patty Jane's husband leaves her, she and her irrepressible sister, Harriett, open a neighborhood beauty parlor--complete with live harp music and Norwegian baked goods. It's a warmhearted place where good friends share laughter, tears and comfort. A funny, poignant first novel about the bonds between women, says the Houston Chronicle... -
![Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel]()
Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAt 7:45 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving break, a bomb goes off at Edison High. Nine people die instantly. Fifteen are critically injured. Twenty-two suffer less severe injuries. And one is blinded. Those who survive, struggle to cope with the loss and destruction. All must find new meaning for their lives as a result of something they may never understand... -
![Tom at the Farm by Michel Marc Bouchard]()
Tom at the Farm by Michel Marc Bouchard
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs an unexpected guest at his recently deceased lover's funeral, Tom is blindsided by the man's legacy of untruth. With the mother expecting a chain-smoking girlfriend, and the older brother hell-bent on preserving a facade of normalcy, Tom is coerced into participating in the dishonesty until, at last, he confronts the torment that drove his lover to live in the shadows of deceit... -
![Hello from the Gillespies by Monica McInerney]()
Hello from the Gillespies by Monica McInerney
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsInternational Number One bestseller Monica McInerney brings us a sparkling and hilarious Christmas novel about family life For the last thirty years, Angela Gillespie's annual Christmas letter has been full of her family's triumphs. But this year Angela surprises everyone, including herself - she tells the truth. Angela's husband is in the throes of a mid-life crisis...
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